Christopher Melillo is the Practice Leader of Kaye/Bassman's Energy Practice. He manages teams in several areas of the energy industry as well as managing his own team in energy commodity trading. As Practice Leader, Chris is responsible for the strategic design and development of the practice as a whole.
 
Chris started in the executive search industry in 1990 placing manufacturing engineers. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to Manager while boasting record breaking numbers during the recession of the early 90’s. He was quickly recruited to Rapport Associates, LTD, an accounting and financial boutique search firm working exclusively with twelve of Chicago’s Blue Chip companies in various industries, in 1991. Six months later, he was promoted to Vice President of Business Development and made Partner at Rapport Associates where he worked closely with the Interim Management Practice serving Third World development bank consultancies including two large projects for the World Bank - a project with National Housing Corporation in Papua New Guinea and a highway civil engineering project in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Chris was also responsible for production and administrative oversight of all three of Rapport’s divisions including the Rapport Temporary Service.
 
In 1994, Chris started Global Search, Inc. which was later acquired.  He then started MAG Partners, Inc. and ultimately joined Kaye/Bassman in 2004.
 
Chris studied Criminal Justice at Winona State University which he attended on a football scholarship. He lettered four years and was the Defensive Captain his Junior and Senior years. Chris is now an avid marathoner and lives in Plano with his wife Jodi.